Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a tough 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football,” but the bigger blow came with injuries to star wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Godwin dislocated his left ankle, and Evans injured his right hamstring, according to head coach Todd Bowles.
While further details about Evans’ injury are still pending, Bowles said the situation didn’t look good for Godwin, whose teammates gathered in the training room to support him after the game.
“Our prayers go out to him,” Bowles said of Godwin. “Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a human being. Not much you can say. You feel bad for him, and unfortunately, they’re not going to cancel the games. We got to step up and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”
Godwin Suffers Devastating Ankle Injury
With just over a minute left in the game, Godwin caught a pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield but was tackled from behind by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. Godwin’s left ankle got trapped underneath Smith, leaving him in visible pain on the field. Teammates were shaken, and Mayfield, clearly upset, knelt down with his head in his hands.
“This absolutely sucks,” Mayfield said. “Yeah, it sucks for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously, you guys have seen — he’s played extraordinary this year. Got a heavy heart right now.”
The Bucs’ bench cleared as Godwin was helped onto a cart, receiving a standing ovation and chants of “Godwin!” from the crowd. Godwin had tied Evans for the NFL lead in touchdowns through six weeks, with both receivers scoring five times. They had been the driving force behind the Bucs’ offense.
Bowles defended the decision to keep Godwin in the game, despite it being out of reach, saying, “We don’t second-guess,” and pointing to the fact that the team was already without Evans.
“I do protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “That has nothing to do with why we left him in this ballgame. We still had a shot to score some points and win this ballgame. It happens. It happens in football.”
Mayfield had no objection to remaining in the game.
“We talked about it on the sideline, thinking, ‘If we get a quick touchdown — obviously already got an onside kick during the game — get a quick touchdown, an onside kick, have a possibility for a Hail Mary,” he said. “We have a group of fighters. We all wanted a chance to try and win that thing any way, some way, somehow.”
Evans’ Hamstring Injury Adds to Bucs’ Woes
Evans had come into the game nursing a hamstring strain but played through the injury, catching a 25-yard touchdown on the opening drive. This marked his 100th career touchdown reception, making him the 11th player in NFL history to reach the milestone. However, in the second quarter, Evans aggravated the injury while attempting to catch a pass in the end zone. He fell to the ground, grabbing his leg in pain, and limped off the field with help from the team’s medical staff.
Evans had missed two days of practice during the week but was cleared to play after participating in limited practice on Friday. His injury marks another blow to his goal of tying Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Evans has recorded 10 straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards.
Bucs Must Move Forward Without Star Receivers
On the other hand, Godwin is facing another significant setback in his career. This is his second major injury after tearing his ACL and MCL in 2021. Godwin had been feeling back to his best this season, and his teammates and coaches had praised his performance.
“I’m sick about it,” tight end Cade Otton said of his injured teammates. “We talk about great guys and great leaders and great players. It sucks. It’s the terrible part about this job, but we have to come together for them and play better and win games and just carry on like they would.”
As outside linebacker YaYa Diaby said of Godwin, “He was having such an amazing year, and for a guy like that … we need him on this offense. And then for Mike — we need him, as well. You know, I don’t know what the story is, but I hope he can get well.”
The Buccaneers, now 4-3, face a crucial game next weekend against the Atlanta Falcons, who share the same record. Tampa Bay lost to Atlanta in an overtime heartbreaker earlier in the season, and with their top two receivers sidelined, the team will need other players to step up.
“It sucks,” Mayfield said. “Going to be thinking about Chris and Mike for a while here, but going to move forward. This group is going to have to be resilient. Going to have to have guys step up. That’s just the way it is. There is no other way around it. Going to have to look this thing in the face and take it head on.”
This report used information from ESPN.
